Sacramento Southern Railroad

The Sacramento Southern Railroad is a heritage railway owned by the California State Railroad Museum which operates excursion trains on it.[1] The railroad extends from the museum property located in Old Sacramento State Historic Park south along the east bank of the Sacramento River levee.

Sacramento Southern Railroad
Sacramento Southern Railroad #2030 performs some local switching duties on the SSRR line located just south of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento in December, 2004.
LocaleSacramento Freeport, California; original route was to Walnut Grove
TerminusFreeport, California; original route was to Walnut Grove
ConnectionsUnion Pacific Railroad (Freight)
Commercial operations
Built byThe original Sacramento Southern Railroad
a non-operating subsidiary
of the Southern Pacific Company
Original gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Owned byCalifornia State Railroad Museum
Operated byCalifornia State Railroad Museum
Reporting markSSRR
Length3 miles
Preserved gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened1909
1912Merged with Central Pacific Railroad
(?)Became a part of the SP system
Closed1978
Preservation history
c. 1978Property acquired by the museum
(?)Freight service resumed
1982Excursions started
PresentIn operation
HeadquartersCalifornia State Railroad Museum at Sacramento
Website
Official website

The original Sacramento Southern Railroad ran south 24.3 miles (39.1 km) to Walnut Grove, California via Freeport and was a non-operating subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company incorporated in 1903.[2]

The line was constructed between 1906–1912, and the first train began operating over the line in 1909.[3] It was merged in 1912 with the Central Pacific Railroad upon completion of the line to Walnut Grove. The line was extended to Isleton by 1929. In 1931, a 3-mile (5 km) extension of the branch reached the Mokelumne River.[3]

The railroad later became a part of the SP system who filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the line, and did so on October 10, 1978.[3] Around that time the California State Railroad Museum started acquiring the rail property, and started excursions in 1982.[3] Recent years have seen a resurgence in the road's freight business, serving a number of local industries via an interchange with the Union Pacific Railroad. Future plans call for expanding operations southward into the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta area.

See also

References
  1. "All Aboard! Excursion Train Rides". California State Railroad Museum. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  2. Hecteman, Kevin W. (9 March 2009). Sacramento Southern Railroad. Arcadia Publishing. p. 128. ISBN 9780738569864.
  3. "History of the Sacramento Southern Railroad". California State Railroad Museum. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  • Robertson, Donald B. (1998). Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History — Volume IV — California. Caldwell, ID: The Caxton Printers. ISBN 0-87004-385-4.
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